Welcome to Our Digs: The Backyard

For our family and friends a far, I thought it would be nice to do a virtual house tour blog post "series."  The area that has changed the most since we moved in is our backyard...and there is STILL a whole lotta work to be done.  So maybe this is a good place to park a backyard "to-do" list as well.  Yes, I shall do that.

Because everyone likes a little before and after action...I present to you the official BEFORE pictures:

Pre-pool demo (sorry, not the best pictures...we didn't want to get too attached to the monster body of water plus encroaching deck/awning combo that took up the entire backyard)

Let the demo begin!  Step 1:  Drain the pool.  Step 2:  Run around the bottom of pool like you're five years old (this is a very important step, naturally.)

Step 3:  Jack hammer it to smithereens.  And the pool deck.  And the diving board.  And the other deck/awning combo.  Oh, and rip off the solar panels from the roof that we don't need anymore to heat the pool.  Yes, it was demo galore at our house.

Let's call this next set of pictures, IN PROGRESS:

Ta-da...a pool removal permit, a jack-hammer and four days hard work = um, no more pool.

My boys were stoaked about their new backyard aka mud pit.  Me, not so much.  So despite the fact I wanted to hold out on doing anything back there until we had plans drawn up from a landscape designer, we knew we had to throw some sod down.  Because in my typical fashion, it's now 3-ish months since we've put down grass and we still haven't selected a designer.  So, yeah.  It was the right move.

So, we move on -- prepping to lay sod!

Insta-grass!



Sorry for the washed out picture...it's way too late at night for me to bother with color correction :)

We did a pretty poor job at taking any pictures of the side yards, fencing and trees -- and the most recent project we completed, (I mean, paid someone to come and do the work for us,) was to cut down several trees and perform some serious pruning and ripping out of bushes. Much to our neighbors delight, I might add, as tree debris no longer drops into their pool.  Seriously, we are the current title holders of the "Best Neighbors EVER."  It's awesome.  And it means they bring us stuff in appreciation, like wine. :)

Below is what our backyard looks like as of this past weekend.  I won't call these "afters" because we still have a LONG way to go:

View from out of the sliding glass door in the Den


And a few more shots, including side yards.

I wish we had some before shots with all the trees and bushes intact so you could fully appreciate what a HUGE difference it is now that they are gone/pruned.  The amount of sun we get now is amazing, and our options are opened up a bit more in terms of how we can utilize the terraced retaining walls (which at some point need to be completely redone.) 

But, okay, it still looks like a hot mess back there.  But we have PLANS.  Lots of plans.  Which include:

1. Putting in new deck/stairs from sliding glass door off kitchen.
2. Installing cohesive patio material (cement or stone or brick) throughout the non-grass void.
3. Rebuilding the terraced retaining wall.  We would like to scale it back and use the raised area as a container garden that lines the yard.
4. Have tree stumps drilled out.
5. Add in new flowers and plants.
6. New cohesive fencing around the yard perimeter.  Raise fence that faces street.  Fix the gate.
7. Built in BBQ area, most likely off the deck/stairs area, under the kitchen window
8. FIRE PIT!!
9. Some type of covered area (trellis or cabana...still throwing ideas around on this)
10. Small play area (swings + slide?)
11. Shed for the side yard to store lawnmower, outdoor cushions, etc.
12. Lighting:  uplights for landscaping and general outdoor lighting mounted on the house.
13. Buy patio furniture and accessories.
14. Hire a landscape designer to translate the above list into reality -- please forward your recommendations!!
15. Convince my husband to sell one of his kidney's to finance the backyard of our dreams.

I actually can't believe we've only been living here for four months...it feels like an entire year has gone by.  It truly feels like home to us now, although there have been moments -- as recently as tonight-- where C asks us about the old house and says that he misses it.  Tonight was especially bittersweet as he was in near tears telling me that "I remember the outside mama, but I can't quite remember the inside...I really want to remember the inside."  He did this a few months after the move and I drove him past the old house, only for him to get quite upset he couldn't go inside. 

It's funny how you focus on preparing your children for the big things, like...a new sibling or a death of a loved one.  We knew the move to a new home would affect C from the perspective that it was "change", but admittedly overlooked that even at the young age of three had developed an actual emotional attachment.  I realize that he probably won't remember feeling this way in a few years, but it was a good reminder for me that kids notice the little things, too.

I think my plan is to work back to front, bottom to top...so that means an update on the Den will be forthcoming!